Giro d'Italia 2023 Stage 20 LIVE - A hilltop time trial test to decide whether Geraint Thomas or Primoz Roglic will win the Giro

GERAINT THOMAS: AT LEAST HE SMASHED ME

"I could feel my legs going 1.5km from the top of that climb. I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses but I just didn’t feel like I had that grunt. I guess it’s nice to lose by that much rather than a second or two. At least he smashed me. To be honest, Primoz deserves that. He had a mechanical and still put 40 seconds into me, so chapeau to him."

"If you’d told me back in Feb/March [this would be the result] I’d have bit your hand off, but now I’m devastated. With the season I’ve had up to this point I can be proud of that. Just gutted for the boys - they’ve worked so hard. Another second for me. What is it about Gees in this race coming second?"

PRIMOZ ROGLIC: ONE MORE DAY TO GO

"It’s something amazing. It’s not in the end about the win but about the people. The energy here is incredible. Moments to remember."

"I dropped the chain, but these things happen. I put the chain back on and restarted. I had the legs and the people gave me extra watts."

"One more day to go. One more focus, because the lap is quite technical. It’s not over til it’s finished, but it looks good."

"It was really stressful. Everyone always asks about the last TT in the Tour in 2020, and it was almost like that. When we saw Primoz had a problem with the bike. A bit stressful, but that’s Primoz. Even with adversity, he comes back stronger. I was still confident that he would finish strong and it’s just amazing. It’s beautiful for him to be here with all the Slovenian fans. Just beyond words."

"We knew Primoz was biding his time, waiting for the right moments. It’s always a risk if you wait til the end but on such a hard TT like today you can really make the difference. We’re so proud of Primoz and so happy to be riding for him."

1 Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) 44'23
2 Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +40
3 Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +42

PRIMOZ ROGLIC WINS THE GIRO D'ITALIA!

Redemption for Roglic, heartbreak for Geraint Thomas, who must settle for second. Roglic needed to take 26 seconds, in the end he managed 40, even with that mechanical. Hats off to the Slovenian, who wins the Giro d'Italia by a mere 14 seconds.

He gave absolutely everything to set the fastest time, which he managed by a full 42 seconds. Start the clock to the maglia rosa.

Thirteen seconds faster than Caruso. He will be on the podium in Rome. Just two riders left to finish now. "I'm not sure I can take much more of this," says Rob Hatch. Me either, Rob.

He rode across a pothole and off came his chain. His got going again quickly, but surely that's his dreams up in smoke? Thomas came through sixteen seconds behind Roglic at the second split but what has that cost him?

Thomas is now around fifteen seconds down. He has to dig deep, but what does he have in the tank?

Six seconds quicker than Kuss. The gauntlet has officially been thrown down by the most dramatic, the most romantic of riders. He did it all in that final sector.

THOMAS LOSING SIX SECONDS TO ROGLIC

With a third of the climb gone, it's going okay for the British rider as things stand. But the momentum is with the Slovenian and he's very much in the game. A rider can lose a lot of time, very quickly on these steep slopes, says Sean Kelly.

He has shown that he was worth that stint in the maglia rosa, and is a true grand tour contender of the future.

SLOVENIAN FANS ROAR ROGLIC TOWARDS THE TOP OF MONTE LUSSARI

Are they helping or hindering him, Robbie McEwen asks? Hard to tell.

He can afford that. It was a calm bike change, but surely slower than that of Roglic, which suggests he was going quicker on the flat. The race leader made a helmet switch as well, rehearsed in the car park earlier, apparently.

ROGLIC QUICKEST AT THE FOOT OF THE MONTE LUSSARI

Four more seconds off Joao Almeida's time. It was a great bike change for Roglic. Smooth as you like. He's going very well so far. What can he do on the climb, though? We wait for the maglia rosa.

Seven seconds quicker than Jay Vine.

He had two seconds at the final intermediate, and held onto it for the downhill and short climb to the line. Three Americans currently in the top four.

His mission is simple. He has never seriously, by his own hand, faltered in a general classification competition. All he has to do is defend 26 seconds to become the first Welshman and the oldest rider ever to win the Giro. Sounds simple? It really isn't.